Consumer businesses are driven by sales. Motivating your sales staff is therefore central to maintaining your revenue and ensuring business growth. They need incentive to get the message out and promote the company. Keep them on track and excited by rewarding them personally and by engaging them in the company's mission.

Talk About the Mission

The sales staff needs to be on board with the company's direction to effectively generate customers. Reinforce to your employees how your innovation, your product quality and excellent customer service bring value to clients. During regular team meetings, share the positive results that have come about because of their work. This can include increasing the company's bottom line, generating favorable customer feedback or creating waves in the industry. If your company has a community-service component, share the results of that good work and encourage your sales staff to contribute.

Encourage Leadership

Sales personell often must draw on creativity to make sales. If they have a reasonable suggestion that may lead to a boost in new deals, let them try it. This will demonstrate you have faith and trust in their abilities. It also shows you value their commitment to innovation, even if they only implement their ideas on a probationary basis. Shutting down new ideas is a great way to make staff feel stifled, frustrated and willing to move their talents elsewhere.

Personalize Rewards

Everyone is motivated differently. If you know your employees, you will know what rewards will keep them committed to bringing in sales. One employee might demonstrate an interest in attending sales conventions in other cities. Others might want time off, early quitting time to attend to family, or event tickets. Here the motivation is not simply the perk; but the courtesy of asking the people that bring in your customers what means most to them. Consider surveying your employees early in their tenure, and on an ongoing basis, to see what they would appreciate in return for meeting sales targets.

Recognition

Acknowledgment goes a long way toward motivating employees. When your sales force reaches goals, let the whole team know. Give individual workers signs of recognition in company newsletters, at team meetings and through the production of commemorative materials like plaques. This lets your people know you see what they are doing and value their contribution.

Money

Most people hold a job for the paycheck. Even if your sales staff is on commission, a bonus for hitting sales milestones can provide extra motivation. Since the bonus is only paid when money comes into the business, it is a win-win for your company: You get the customer and the sales agent gets the satisfaction.